Fresh search for Muriel McKay remains announced

Muriel McKay's family are trying to recover her remains after she was kidnapped and killed in 1969

Police have announced a fresh search will take place for the remains of Muriel McKay, who was abducted and murdered more than 54 years ago.

Mrs McKay, 55, was held to ransom for £1m at a farm in Hertfordshire by a pair who had mistaken her for Anna Murdoch, the then-wife of media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Her body has never been found.

The decision to carry out another search of Stocking Farm, near Bishop's Stortford, comes after detectives flew to Trinidad to speak to Nizamodeen Hosein, one of the two men convicted of her kidnap and murder.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “While we have concerns about inconsistences in the account provided by Nizamodeen Hosein, for completeness, we want to do this."

Muriel McKay's grandson, Mark Dyer, standing at the spot where he believes his grandmother is buried

Officers searched Stocking Farm at the time of the murder and again in 2022, with the help of ground penetrating radar and specialist forensic archaeologists. Nothing new was found.

The police have told Mrs McKay's family that if the latest search is unsuccessful "it would not be proportionate to carry out any further searches or investigations".

Mark Dyer, her grandson, said he was "elated" with the news.

He told the BBC: "I am delighted the police made the right decision. We're all going to work together, which is different to before.

"[Hosein] has always been certain she's behind the barn at Stocking Farm," he said.

The farm, near Bishop's Stortford, was last searched in 2022

Mrs McKay was abducted in 1969. Hosein and his brother Arther were convicted of her kidnap and murder.

While Arthur died in prison in 2009, Nizamodeen was deported to Trinidad and Tobago after serving his sentence.

Mr Dyer and his mother visited Hosein in January 2024 where he pinpointed a location on the farm where he said the body was buried.

The family have frequently asked the police to act on the information, and have criticised how the force approached the killer, criticisms the force has rejected.

The investigation team flew out to speak to Hosein in person. Officers interviewed him over three days.

Cdr Steve Clayman, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “Our recent enquiries mean other areas have been highlighted as being of potential interest and it is these we will search.

“The main area is where a manure heap once stood. We know now this was probably larger than we previously thought and therefore that area was not entirely searched in 2022.”

“We all share a hope and desire to find Muriel’s remains and bring some closure to her family after all these years," he added.

In a statement, the farm's owners said: “We agreed to support the decision of the police, whatever it was. They have now made their decision, which we respect, although we understand from the police that this was a finely judged call considering the unreliability of the evidence provided by the murderer.

"In fact, the evidence is insufficient for the police to apply for search warrant. It now means that once this dig is concluded there will be a close to the debate and that no further searches on our land will happen.”

No date has been set for the new search.